Any Alliance
by Ash M. Knight
Summary: Queen Regina builds an army and wages war against the Charmings - including their daughter, Emma. Things get complicated when the battle begins and Regina's true feelings come out. SwanQueen one-shot.


"Any alliance whose purpose is not the intention to wage war is senseless and useless," the queen laughed, sitting on her throne, glancing happily at her throne before sitting down with a satisfied smile. "Mankind has grown strong in eternal struggles and will only perish through eternal peace. The day of individual happiness has passed."

Beside her, a woman with lighter hair, but the same disposition sat with a matching smile.

"I concur. Luckily for you, that's exactly what I intend to do."

"Of course, you'd hardly be able to do it on your own," the other woman quipped, a smirk plastered on her face.

"Nor could you, sister."

This displeased the queen, which wiped the smirk away and replaced it with a scowl.

"I don't _need_ you," the queen asserted. "You simply make my job easier."

"Oh, I think we both know that's not true."

"I suggest you silence yourself before I set every inch of your insolent soul on fire."

"Ooh, I'm scared now!" the ginger-haired woman laughed. "You positively terrify me."

"Silence!" the queen screamed, slamming her fist on the arm of her throne.

When she formed a ball of fire in her right hand, she got exactly what she'd requested. Silence. It was true; the queen was quite menacing. Even with all of her sister's own powers, she was no match for the brunette who sat beside her. Though she knew this, she still tried to hold her ground. In the end, though, the queen won out, successfully asserting her dominance and superiority. Still, Queen Regina did find the woman to be an asset, and the alliance they had made was a beneficial one so far, and if the woman became obsolete, she could simply rid herself of the dead weight, which reassured her. As it stood, though, she had no reason for conflict with the woman, other than the gall her sister showed when speaking.

"So, what's the plan, then?" the queen's sister finally asked. "Have you collected an army?"

"I have," the queen said slowly, glancing towards a small huddle of her guards who were standing near the door to the great hall.

"And will we be directly in battle, or shall we control the fight from afar?"

"You will stay here and guard the palace. I will ride out with the army and assure the loyalty of these supposed soldiers."

"I suppose that is a logical plan. However, aren't you worried about being injured?"

The queen laughed loudly at this, startling her guards, who all stood at attention and faced her directly. The queen only laughed at individuals she found to be ignorant. Knowing this, her sister scowled at her and opened her mouth to speak.

"I would refrain from speaking if I were you," the queen said shortly, "and no, I am not. I fear nothing."

_Fair enough, _the sister thought, but taking her sister's advice and saying nothing. Instead, she sat back in her seat and smoothed the skirt of her deep green dress. It was sophisticated and beautiful, but beside the queen, it appeared drab. Regina's outfit was elegant, with intricate lace in all the right places, accentuating the curves of her breasts and waist. The woman's sister did not have her shape, and so her dress, in contrast to the queen's, fell straight instead of hugging her body. The unspoken award for the gorgeous appearance was also won by the queen, who was far beyond the elegance of her dress. Every feature was chiseled like a statue, ageless and alluring. Any man in the kingdom would die to simply touch the olive skin of her hand, let alone to make love to her, but she had fiercely declined all suiters, deeming them all unfit and unworthy of her majesty.

The great hall fell silent as the two declined to continue speaking, until a soldier burst through the heavy front doors, panting and sweating in an undignified manner that disgusted the queen.

"Well?" the regal woman snapped as the man attempted to catch his breath.

"They know!" he cried. "They're planning a retreat into the forest."

"They think they can run from me? I think not. Gather the soldiers and tell them we attack just before dawn."

"But, Your Majesty, we-"

"Silence! You will do as you're told! Now, when do they plan to retreat?"

"Tonight, Your Majesty! Tonight!"

The queen looked from the soldier to her sister, who nodded and rose from her seat.

"We have to do it now, Regina," the woman said boldly, tightening her fingers into fists.

The queen nodded.

"You are right, Zelena. Now is the time to act. Strength lies not in defense but in attack."

Zelena nodded her head again, encouraging her sister to give the order the soldier's awaited.

"You ride out, now. Immediately," the queen instructed, "and don't come back until you bring me their heads. _All of them. _And if you harm one hair on the boy's head, you will pay for it with the most painful death you can possibly imagine, and then I will raise you from the dead to perform an even more creative method of torture."

"Understood, Your Majesty," he said, knowing better than to argue, even though he was well aware that their soldiers were far from ready for battle.

So the queen left the great hall and made her way to her chambers, where she suited up in heavy black armor that shimmered in the moonlight. She wore no helmet. Strapping a long sword that was also very heavy to her hip, she marched out into the corridor, stopping a few doors down and knocking lightly.

"I'm off, Zelena. You know what to do."

The woman opened the door and confirmed the statement, then disappeared again, leaving Regina alone in the hallway. Outside, she mounted her horse with ease, as though the animal, as black as her armor, was an extension of herself.

"Good boy, Daniel," she whispered to the horse, stroking him lightly as a handful of her personal guards gathered in front of her.

"Your Majesty," one began, bowing and saying, "we are ready."

"Good," the queen said smoothly. "I want their heads. All of them. And if I don't get them, you _all _die. I'm holding each and every one of you personally responsible for the fate of Snow White and Prince Charming. Emma Swan is mine."

They nodded their understanding, sweating beneath their weighty armor.

And so they rode away from the castle and into the darkness of the forest, each holding a sword and a torch.

"Oh," the queen announced to her men as they left, "and burn everything. Leave nothing unscathed. No one is innocent of treason."

Hesitating at this command, the soldiers looked at each other through the eye slots of their helmets and wondered what the others were thinking. Still, they traveled on, until they were startled to find a sea of light moving their way, just over a small hill. When it reached the top of the hill, they could see that it was, in fact, a small army of people in bright silver armor.

"Kill them all," came the next command, and the soldiers obeyed, charging the line of the opposing forces.

The queen watched from behind as men fell, more and more with each passing moment, both those in silver armor and in black. She gave no further commands, content to watch her soldiers attack Snow and Charming's supposed army, which was much smaller and less menacing than her own. Her men were soldiers. Their men and women were weak townspeople who had volunteered for the cause, eager to help but unprepared to fight. Many of them were too young to see battle, and this was the one and only thing that made the queen uneasy.

The enemy was falling, and the trees were burning.

Then, she saw her target. Long, beautiful blonde hair flowed over the shoulders of white armor, and bright eyes shimmered and flickered in the light of the flames. Bursting through a barrier of fire towards the pure white horse and its rider, the queen advanced, drawing her sword with her free hand.

"It's over, Savior!" she called out once she was close enough. "Look around you. Your people are dying."

Before the blonde was able to respond, she could not stop herself from turning her head from side to side, surveying the damage and havoc the queen was bringing upon her people.

"It's not over, Regina," the woman finally said, desperation soaking her voice. "You can end this."

"You're right, and I will... starting with you."

So the queen advanced further with her sword drawn and swung high, bringing the blade down towards her enemy's neck, but the blow was met with the clash of her opponent's sword, which the woman had drawn expertly from her side.

"I don't want to fight you," the blonde said, backing away on her horse.

"That's unfortunate," the queen laughed, "because I want to fight you. I want you dead, Miss Swan, and when I find my son and take him away from your family forever, you can be sorry from your grave."

"Regina," the woman pleaded. "You don't understand. Henry's _here_. He's with David."

"What?" the queen screamed. "You would put my son in harm's way?"

"No!" the woman cried, blocking another blow from the queen's sword. "He just showed up! I couldn't stop him. He wouldn't turn back."

"Where are they?" the brunette snapped, her head whipping around to search the battlefield.

"He's wearing exactly what everyone else is. You're never going to know which one he is. He has a helmet."

"How could you?!"

"Just stop this and retreat! It doesn't have to be this way!"

"Yes, it does!"

The queen swung again, and this time the sword made just enough contact to mar the blonde's face with blood, but the woman didn't flinch, or even raise her sword.

"Stop this before you kill our son! For all we know, he could already be dead!"

This startled the queen, so she paused, just long enough for the other woman to move closer until their horses were beside each other. When she reached out and touched Regina's shoulder, the brunette flinched and pulled away, swinging her sword back once more, but this time, the blonde caught her wrist and held it still, preventing the woman from striking.

"Please, don't do this," the blonde begged, putting her free hand back on the woman's shoulder.

When the queen jerked away, her sword fell and hit the side of the Savior's armor, making a loud crashing noise.

"I _have_ to do this. They need to die! _You _need to die."

"Why me? I mean, I know why you hate my parents, but what have I ever done to you?"

"You've..." the queen started.

"What? What have I ever done to you, Regina? I don't want this war. I don't want to hurt you."

"You've already hurt me!" the queen screamed, swinging her sword again, but was blocked by the other woman's blade.

"How?!" the blonde cried, exasperated and confused.

"You broke my fucking heart."

This time, the queen's blade made contact with the woman's wrist as the Savior raised her sword to fight back. Blood poured over her hands and stained the neck of the white horse, who had been steady so far, until it heard the loud cry from the woman's lips as she was cut open.

"I don't understand!" the blonde cried, waiting for the next blow. "How is that possible?"

"You think it's easy having _no one_? You think I want to live like this? To be alone?"

"But what about Robin?"

The blonde's head was reeling.

"Robin is dead."

"What?"

"I had him beheaded for treason."

"He was on our side?"

"No. He slept with one of my guards. In my bed."

Emma froze, nearly dropping her weapon. In the light of the flames, she could see the pain in Regina's eyes.

"I'm sorry," the White Knight told her, "but what does that have to do with me?"

"Do you know what a rebound is, Miss Swan?"

"I don't understand."

"Of course you don't!" the queen laughed bitterly, throwing her head back and lowering her sword. "You wouldn't."

"Explain it to me."

"It's no wonder. You're as thick-brained as your mother and father."

"Stop insulting me and _explain, _dammit!"

The queen paused, suddenly calm, and said, "I have loved you, do love you, and will love you, even after you are dead by my own blade."

Again, the queen swung high and hard, slicing the side of the woman's neck just enough to make it bleed before Emma blocked the rest of the blow with her own sword.

"No, wait!" Emma screamed. "Regina, don't!"

"You _will _die tonight, Miss Swan. You may be good with swordplay, but I am the queen of fire."

In her hands formed a menacing ball of flame, which she directed at Emma, knocking the blonde off of her horse. As soon as the woman fell, the queen dismounted and stood over her, blade pointed at the woman's throat.

"Will your last words be memorable?" the queen asked. "Or will they be like all the rest?"

"Don't kill me," Emma said calmly.

"And why shouldn't I?"

"Because I can be your savior too."

The queen's lips parted, but closed as soon as the woman noticed.

"And your parents?" the queen finally prompted her.

"Leave them out of this. This is about us."

"Us?"

"I love you too, Regina," Emma confessed. "Always have done, always will do. Why do you think I'm here?"

"To stop me from killing your parents, of course."

"I'm here for you."

Shocked, the queen tossed the blade to the side, suddenly noticing the red life pouring down her savior's neck, and knelt down beside her, tears welling in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry," Regina whispered. "We need to get you help. I can't tell how bad the wound is."

"I'll be fine. Call off your men."

"I can't. Your parents _have_ to die_._"

"Call them off!" Emma screamed, attempting to sit up, but the blood loss had sped up and caused her to be light-headed and somewhat weak, so she sat gently back and gave up on trying to move.

The queen hesitated, but gave the command.

"Come here," the Savior said softly, reaching out with her unwounded hand. The queen took her hand and knelt again, looking down into her eyes before the woman said, "You don't have to be alone."

"I'm not just lonely," Regina admitted. "I'm lonely for you."

"Kiss me and go find our son."

When they kissed, Emma wrapped her hand around the back of Regina's neck and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss as their tongues tasted each other.

* * *

**Author's note:**

Fun fact: beginning dialogue is a quote from Adolf Hitler. Dangerous rhetoric. Seemed appropriate for the state of mind our queen was in at the beginning.


End file.
